Article Summary:

As noted in Part 1 of this review, with a measured weight of about 2.5 lb, the Stephenson 2C is one of the lightest tents available that claims to be appropriate for four-season (winter) use. For three season use, there are many lighter, better-ventilated shelters (unless one is keenly interested in an tent that remains stable in very high (40+ mph) winds, then read on…). Thus, the primary purpose of this review is to investigate the suitability of the Stephenson 2C as a storm resistant winter tent.

The challenge we have as reviewers of "gear for serious conditions" is in defining the scope of what "serious" really means. For some of us, "serious" might be defined by winds that cause your tent fabric to flap enough to interrupt your sleep. For others, the line between "serious" and "epic" might be defined by frostbite-inducing conditions that separate the preservation of digits from the loss of "merely one or two of the less important fingers".

We're not going to identify what "serious" means, and we're sensitive enough to recognize that our serious may not be the same as your serious, and that our context for reviewing expedition gear may not meet your needs for understanding how this gear might perform on your expedition.

That said, Stephenson tents have many passionate advocates - and detractors. You're going to hear from both sides in this review. We hope our varied perspectives will give you some insight behind the passion, and that you can apply this insight into answering the question: "Is the Stephenson 2C the right tent for me?"

ARTICLE OUTLINE

Review Context

The Main Questions

Wind Stability

Construction Quality

Snow Loading

Practical Living

Summary

# WORDS: 3000
# PHOTOS: 5

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